Helen and Tom's excellent bike adventures

Well, here we are again. After a very lovely Christmas period with family and friends, we were happy to leave the wind and rain behind early into the New Year and head off to sunnier climes. The journey up to Heathrow was stressful in that there were so many train cancellations etc that the prospect of not getting there on time was a real concern. However, all went well and off we set and although there’s no denying that the flight is long and sleep is not likely, in the scheme of things, it’s not so bad and it’s over before you know it. And, now, it’s hard to believe that a month has passed already and here we are having been Bondi locals, now preparing to have a little road trip in the lovely Bob.

So, as a little introduction to this year’s adventure, I’d like to consider things that mostly begin with the letter F: familiarity and family time, friends, fresh air, food and drink and flotilla watching.

Familiarity and family time

What has been so special this trip and our month in the AirBnb at Bondi, is how familiar everything is. Having spent some weeks here last time, we were soon into the groove and feeling like locals. Everything from where to get good coffee from (very important), where to get a good beer and wine from (even more important), the fact that we can just walk down to the beach and have a dip (I think we’ve only had a couple of days when that hasn’t happened so we have literally been able to ‘dive back in’ – see what I did there?), the fantastic public transport system which we now use with ease and which gets you everywhere you need to go, and increasingly familiar faces. All of which makes it very much a home from home and enables us to quickly settle in and relax and, for the most part, forget just how far away we actually are!

Above and beyond all that familiarity, of course, comes Family and Friends. Our main driver for the trip is spending time with Will, Nicky and Caden. Although we did see them in the UK during the time between our last trip and this, it is always astonishing to witness how much these guys pack in and how much they manage to achieve (mind you, all the kids seem to pack so much in and achieve a lot, it wears me out just thinking about it!). First up is Caden. What a little superstar. Not only is he walking and, to all intents and purposes, talking, he has got such a great imagination. For a sixteen month-old, he is amazing and oftens gets mistaken for a much older boy, but he always has a smile, cuddle and kisses that reveals his younger self and which, thankfully, he is very happy to share. Then there’s Will. Having perhaps only a year or so ago decided to give sailing a bit more of a go again, he’s only gone and been part of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race squad! Not for the feint hearted, the conditions were very testing indeed, but he thoroughly enjoyed it and having Nicky and Caden at the finish line was the icing on the cake I’m sure.

As a non-sailor, I can’t begin to imagine the conditions involved in sailing for 5 days straight (day and night of course) in fiesty seas. There were a good few knocks and bruises to contend with, and some emergency repairs to tackle on the go, but they made it safely across the finish line unlike quite a number who had to retire. Bravo Billy! And then of course there’s Nicky, not only caring for Caden, sorting out day care and managing the ever challenging relationship with the landlord, she’s also taken to free-diving – yes, the one where they descend without gas tanks and with the longest flippers ever seen. She already swims like a dolpin, but now she looks entirely like a mermaid!! Add to this the move back into work, then I think we can agree that they don’t hang about and work together to make it all happen. Spending time with them and having the opportunity to look after Caden has been a real joy. Looking forward to much more of that please.

Friends

Friendships can be easy to forge, but easier to lose, so we are very humbled by how welcoming our new friendships here are. John, our AirBnb host and his wife Sue feel like old friends and that helps us to settle in very quickly and easily. Nothing seems too much trouble. Will and Nicky’s friends are equally a joy and, although we only see them occasionally, they are so welcoming and sociable that we seem, again, to fit right in with them and pick up as if we’ve never been away. Mind you the group is expanding with the arrival of more children and so it takes some work to keep up with all the names (not my strongest point at the best of times). Of course Tim has also quickly reconneced with his old school mate, John, which is fantastic (and gives him an excuse to steal Will’s Triumph to ride up to Gosford to see him!)

What has been very exciting this time, though, is the fact that our friends from back home – Julie and Martin – have also been in Sydney for a couple of weeks whilst we’ve been here, before they head on to New Zealand. It was great to meet up and explore Bondi and Sydney with them a bit and to also enable them to go a bit further afield for a few days by borrowing Bondi Bob. I think it safe to say that they also fell in love with Bob and enjoyed his company and, like us, marvelled at the facilities found on Aussie campsites. The concept of ensuite sites and excellent communal facilities like bbqs and camp kitchens, was as unfamiliar to them as it was to us in the early days and they soon understood and appreciated how good it is to camp over here and why we do it so readily.

Fresh Air

Although, as yet, we haven’t embarked on any big adventures in Bob, on the bicycles or long walks, we have by no means been lacking exercise and fresh air! Just the walk up to HQ from Bondi Beach has been a regular workout (especially that blemming hill) and a couple of coast walks from Bondi to Clovelly and back has given the legs a goodly stretch. The focus in Australia, though, is absolutely on the outdoors and it’s easy to see why it suits the kids. Most days before work, they will walk down to the beach and have a dip, we will meet them there for coffee and to take Caden and then spend the rest of the morning with him either in the excellent play park by the beach, on the beach and at the toddler’s paddling pool – or indeed at any of the many other outdoor play parks that are all really well equipped and with lots of shade. Caden is rarely in the house except to sleep and have a bit of indoor playtime so no wonder he’s eating like a horse and growing like a beanstalk! It’s little wonder also that, with us being fresh air freaks too, our AirBnb hosts like us so much – we are very rarely inside it!

Food and drink

Now we will have covered this before so I won’t go on about the very lovely array of eateries and bars that we like to support. We’ve happened across a couple of yacht clubs that are, in true Aussie style, far from stuffy and exclusive and are keen to welcome visitors. However, Timmo has on this trip made a discovery that has made him very happy indeed. The RSL. This is a member’s club – a bit like a sports bar more than, say, a golf club – that Timmo has actually joined and takes great delight in the fact that, although we can all get in as long as we can present ID, he, as a member, can get discounted food and drink. It gives him much pleasure to know that he is getting it cheaper, it makes us as his ‘guests’ very happy that he gets it cheaper on our behalf, and its actually a nice place to spend some time as it looks over the whole of Bondi Beach. Win-win I reckon.

RSL stands for Returning Servicemen’s League, so it’s the equivalent of our British Legion Clubs I guess but less stuffy – sorry, having never been to one I might be doing them a diservice. What’s quite nice is that, clearly, ex servicemen will eat and drink there, but it’s open to everyone and at 6pm EVERY evening all are asked to stand and remember past conflicts and those that have served or been lost in them and ALL present observe the request willingly and with respect. Bloody great in my opinion – as was the sight of the massive hellicopter towing an enormous Aussie flag on Australia Day flying overhead along the coast whilst we were having a swim and hearing a couple of young kids belting out a verse of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ whilst plunging through the waves. I’m not sure that we have that strong a sense of national identity at home anymore and I think that’s a massive shame – but that’s just me.

Flotilla watching

Having alluded to the fantastic achievements of Captain Birdseye, aka Will, in his Sydney-Hobart exploits, we too have taken to the seas (well, the water in Sydney harbour out towards the sea). The first trip was on a little pontoon boat from Rose Bay ably captained by Will and assisted by Timmo. We were able to go along and around the harbour, under the bridge and then anchor in a little bay to have a swim and picnic. Fantastic way to spend a few hours. Then, a week or so later, we joined a spectator boat to watch the 18 Footers race – very fast and exciting it was too. Joining a group of Will and Nicky’s friends and their kids, we enjoyed close up views of these exciting craft wanging along at ridiculous speeds whilst the crews of three were literally hanging off the sides of the boom nets at either side. Looked fantastic but you would get me anywhere near one! Will on the other hand…

Finally, we took the motorbike out up the Watson’s Bay and then trekked up to Camp Cove lookout to watch the Australia Day yacht racing. Will was on Ciao Bella again for this and was subject to some fiesty conditions once more with very hot and strong winds. We weren’t altogether sure that we were in the right place to spectate, but could see a lot of yachts that were clearly racing and we had a great view. After a couple of hours we began to think that we had missed him when, low and behold, Ciao Bella came into view. What a treat and with the benefit of taking the monocular with us, we could see Will doing his stuff as clear as anything. A bit of a shame that the phone camera lens couldn’t do it justice, but a good view and shot all the same. Bravo Will and the team and a third place as well. Nice one.

Well, as I conclude some musings from our first month, we are about to embark on a road trip down through the Snowy Mountains to Phillip Island to watch the World Superbikes but before that we are off to see Australia v West Indies in the ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground with John (Tim’s mate from school) and Jane. So lots to look forward to and report back on next time. Until then, TTFN Pommies!